Congress passed a law several years ago declaring that any discussion of career-saving albums must begin with Aerosmith's shocking 1987 multi-platinum comeback LP 'Permanent Vacation.'

O.K., that's a fib. But the story's plot points are so dramatic they've become the template for a hundred lesser "Behind the Music" redemption stories: Band climbs to the top, indulges in drug excess, starts to hate each other and succumb to their addictions, then breaks up. A few years later, they get back together and release a back-to basics album that restores them to their former glory. One catch: That record, the highly underrated 'Done With Mirrors,' flopped badly. So the band finally cleaned up, hired outside collaborators to modernize their sound, and you know the rest: Aerosmith was back and maybe bigger than ever.

 

Watch Aerosmith Perform 'Dude (Looks Like a Lady)'

 

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